Rice RB Charles Ross is one of the top offensive weapons in the entire league. Ross, a senior, has rushed for 114.3 yards per game and 12 touchdowns this year. It's part of a Rice rushing offense that leads the conference this year with 240.3 yards per game.

But Marshall knows what it's doing on offense, too. The Thundering Herd, at 44.6 points per game, led the league in offense this year. It's a two-dimensional one, too, one with QB Rakeem Cato and RB Essray Taliaferro.

Rice will need a strong game from QB Taylor McHargue. The Owls have not been pass-happy this year, and a two-dime signal Rice team will be hard to beat.

East Carolina

The Pirates (9-3, 6-2 C-USA) seemed to have the inside track for most of the year before falling in a rout at Marshall with the East Division title on the line. Still, with the league's top QB in Shane Carden and one of the league's two best offenses, East Carolina won't be an easy out for anyone in a bowl. Plus, the Pirates are operating at a level under Ruffin McNeill that they haven't in some time in Greenville, which might make him a hot commodity.

Florida Atlantic

It took quite the effort for the Owls (6-6, 4-4) to win four in a row and rally around their interim coach, but FAU might be on the outside looking in as it pertains to bowl chances. The bigger question? Who will coach them next year?

Florida International

It wasn't just that year one under Ron Turner ended in 11 losses, it was more about how the Panthers arrived there. FIU (1-11, 1-7) showed very little offense and ended the year as one of the nation's worst attacks. But FIU was also one of the country's youngest teams, which might harbor some reasons for optimism next year.

Louisiana Tech

The Bulldogs (4-8, 3-5) took a noticeable step back in offensive performance from 2012 to 2013, and the loss column rose in lock-step. Still, it was year one under Skip Holtz, and there is potential for improvement next year especially with young running backs.

Marshall

The Thundering Herd (8-3, 6-1) took East Division supremacy in a big way last week, dispatching East Carolina 59-28. It was a testament to just how solid QB Rakeem Cato is -- and just how two-dimensional the Herd has developed into.

GAME PREVIEW: vs. Marshall, C-USA Championship game, Saturday, Dec. 7, at Rice Stadium in Houston. The Thundering Herd's rushing offense (219.9 yards per game) and its passing offense (293.3 ypg) are among the best in the league, but they'll be up against a strong Rice defense.

Middle Tennessee

Year One in Conference USA was more of the same for the Blue Raiders (8-4, 6-2) and coach Rick Stockstill. QB Logan Kilgore was the senior leader the Blue Raiders knew he would be, and he should be a big reason why any team would hate to draw MT in a bowl matchup. MT also won its final four games.

North Texas

Dan McCarney's third season in Denton was a breakout one for the Mean Green (8-4, 6-2), as the team is bowl eligible for the first time in a decade. Though it blew a chance at a West Division title with a late loss against UTSA, QB Derek Thompson and the Mean Green proved it belonged in Conference USA after years in the Sun Belt.

Rice

Behind the usual complement of rushing yards from Charles Ross, the Owls (9-3, 7-1) played their consistent brand of football all season that's a credit to coach David Bailiff. It earned them the West Division title against a spate of upstart contenders.

GAME PREVIEW: QB Taylor McHargue will need to provide more of a passing attack than the 11th-best passing offense in the league that he has produced this year. If Rice can't throw the ball, the running game is moot.

Southern Miss

Hard as it might be to believe, the Golden Eagles (1-11, 1-7) are going into the offseason on a positive note. It wasn't just that they won their final game of the year to break a 23-game losing streak, the longest in the FBS, but they blew out UAB, 62-27. A true freshman quarterback, Nick Mullens, can only get better in the offseason.

Tulane

The Green Wave (7-5, 5-3) capped their first bowl season in a decade under coach Curtis Johnson, and the momentum heading into an on-campus stadium next year is strong. But the Green Wave and QB Nick Montana have much work to do on their offense.

Tulsa

For the Golden Hurricane (3-9, 2-6), this season was a tremendous setback after 12 wins and winning Conference USA last year. Tulsa was also the C-USA preseason pick, but troubles on offense led to a three-win season. The humbling season leads to a head-scratching offseason for Bill Blankenship.